PLAYER stuck under fence

[Guest Mike]

There is a gate in the fence along the left field line. The outfielder was running trying to catch it but didn't want to hit the fence so he slid n his leg went under the swinging gate n he was trapped. The ball landed fair. We had to lift the gate up to get him out! It was nuts! Amatuer baseball league. Ump made the batter hit again. Why?

[afaber12]

No rule comes to mind immediately that would cover that situation, so instinctively it feels like the umpire(s) get to decide what happens.

 

Assuming I'm not forgetting a key part of the rulebook, I'm not sure I would have completely reset the play, unless without the player getting stuck it was pretty darn certain that the ball would be caught. I'm thinking probably put the batter-runner on first or second depending on depth of the hit, where the batter-runner was at the time of sticking, how far away the ball was from the fielder and other fielders.

[Chip]

If the fielder had tumbled over the fence and out of play, would you redo the play? How about if he trips over a sprinkler head and twists his ankle badly enough that he can't get up right away? No. While it is unfortunate the fielder got stuck, the gate didn't reach out and interfere with him so it seems to me you let the play unfold, then call time once action has stopped in order to free him. 

[carolinablue]

Hopefully his teammates were backing him up.

[noumpere]

There is a gate in the fence along the left field line. The outfielder was running trying to catch it but didn't want to hit the fence so he slid n his leg went under the swinging gate n he was trapped. The ball landed fair. We had to lift the gate up to get him out! It was nuts! Amatuer baseball league. Ump made the batter hit again. Why?

You will have to ask the ump who made the call why he did that.  As you describe the play it should just have been left live.

[grayhawk]

Why would the umpire penalize the offense for F7 getting stuck under the fence?  His ruling was 180 degrees from where it should have been.

[Umpire in Chief]

Unfortunately it appears the umpire in this situation made the wrong call. 

 

Unless there is a very serious injury the ball will remain live. 

 

I caught heck a few years ago when in a 14U tourney the center fielder making a diving catch broke his arm while diving and you pretty much knew he did immediately. The batter kept running but the defense basically stopped playing. I upheld the inside the park HR. The defensive manager insisted it was a ground rule double. 

[Chip]

Talk about planning ahead. They must have had some great foresight to write a ground rule about the center fielder breaking his arm!

[BRUMP]

No blood + consciousness = live ball

[mstaylor]

I was playing a LL game, along the time dirt was forming, I collided with the other fielder. I can't remember if I was F9 or F8, but we collided in right center. We both went down and the F4 had to come to the fence to get the ball. I saw nothing wrong with that at the time and still don't. 

[afaber12]

For some reason - I think because the original play got stopped - I automatically focused on where to place runners, and just accepted that the play should be shut down. Sometimes I forget to engage the brain before I engage the keyboard. Apologies. If he's just stuck and not actually in need of emergency medical attention, then let it go, then if needed help yank him out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[carolinablue]

For some reason - I think because the original play got stopped - I automatically focused on where to place runners, and just accepted that the play should be shut down. Sometimes I forget to engage the brain before I engage the keyboard. Apologies. If he's just stuck and not actually in need of emergency medical attention, then let it go, then if needed help yank him out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Or if your pushed for time, you could just give him a helmet and get him out after the game.

[afaber12]

Or if your pushed for time, you could just give him a helmet and get him out after the game.

No ground rule for the first game, but the next game's now got a mix of mini golf in it. (Next plate meeting): The kid in the left field fence is in play. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk